Skip to main content

Hedge fund tax rule sought by SEBI would boost demand

By
Hedge fund tax rule sought by SEBI would boost demand
Sebi is seeking “unit-based” taxation for products broadly classified as hedge funds as part of its proposals for the union budget , according to people in the know India’s market regulator has recommended new tax rules for alternative investment funds, people familiar with the matter said, a move that would boost the country’s fledgling hedge fund industry
The Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) is seeking “unit-based” taxation for products broadly classified as hedge funds as part of its proposals for the union budget due on 1 February, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the matter is confidential
If approved, the designation would reduce fund managers’ administrative burdens and make the country’s equity hedge-fund investors eligible for capital-gains tax exemptions after one year, moving the rules more in line with those for mutual funds. Unfavourable tax treatment has been a key barrier to growth for India’s Rs 2 billion hedge fund industry, which pales in comparison to the Rs 348 billion market in China.
“High taxes are a big hurdle,” Andrew Holland, chief executive officer at Avendus Capital Alternate Strategies in Mumbai, said in an interview before Bloomberg reported Sebi’s recommendation. “We want a level playing field with the mutual fund industry.”Officials at Sebi and India’s finance ministry didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment. Sebi’s proposals would need approval in the federal budget and a signoff from Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) to take effect.
Sebi has also asked for a so-called tax pass through for losses in other alternative investment products, including venture capital, real estate and private equity, the people said. That would allow investors to offset their personal tax bill if fund stakes suffer losses
Assets in alternative investment funds (AIF) rose after last year’s budget granted tax pass through for profits in certain product types, enabling some investors to pay lower rates. Total AIF investments swelled to Rs 43,500 crore (Rs 6.9 billion) in September 2017 from Rs 28,500 crore in December 2016, according to Sebi

The Mint, New Delhi, 09th January 2018

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Household debt up, but India still lags emerging-market economies: RBI

By
  Although household debt in India is rising, driven by increased borrowing from the financial sector, it remains lower than in other emerging-market economies (EMEs), the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) said in its Financial Stability Report. It added that non-housing retail loans, largely taken for consumption, accounted for 55 per cent of total household debt.As of December 2024, India’s household debt-to-gross domestic product ratio stood at 41.9 per cent. “...Non-housing retail loans, which are mostly used for consumption purposes, formed 54.9 per cent of total household debt as of March 2025 and 25.7 per cent of disposable income as of March 2024. Moreover, the share of these loans has been growing consistently over the years, and their growth has outpaced that of both housing loans and agriculture and business loans,” the RBI said in its report.Housing loans, by contrast, made up 29 per cent of household debt, and their growth has remained steady. However, disaggregated data sho...
Post a Comment
Read more

External spillovers likely to hit India's financial system: RBI report

By
  While India’s growth remains insulated from global headwinds mainly due to buoyant domestic demand, the domestic financial system could, however, be impacted by external spillovers, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) said in its half yearly Financial Stability Report published on Monday.Furthermore, the rising global trade disputes and intensifying geopolitical hostilities could negatively impact the domestic growth outlook and reduce the demand for bank credit, which has decelerated sharply. “Moreover, it could also lead to increased risk aversion among investors and further corrections in domestic equity markets, which despite the recent correction, remain at the high end of their historical range,” the report said.It noted that there is some build-up of stress, primarily in financial markets, on account of global spillovers, which is reflected in the marginal rise in the financial system stress indicator, an indicator of the stress level in the financial system, compared to its p...
Post a Comment
Read more

Healthy balance sheets augur well for economy: RBI Governor Sanjay Malhotra

By
  Large tariffs by the United States administration and elevated geopolitical risk have increased near-term global financial stability risks, and along with weather events pose downside risks to domestic growth, Reserve Bank of India(RBI) Governor Sanjay Malhotra said in the foreword to the Financial Stability Report released today.Noting that domestic growth momentum is buoyed by strong domestic drivers, sound macroeconomic fundamentals and prudent policies, Malhotra said: “External spillovers and weather-related events could pose downside risks to growth.”On the other hand, he said the outlook for inflation is benign, and there is greater confidence in the durable alignment of inflation with the Reserve Bank’s target.Commenting that the structural shifts reshaping the global economy are making policy intervention challenging, the Governor emphasised the need for central banks and financial sector regulators to remain vigilant, prudent and agile in safeguarding their economies and...
Post a Comment
Read more